London Marathon 2027
London Marathon: ballot, charity entry and your race day
The public ballot has been drawn and will not reopen. If you secured and confirmed a place, check whether you were allocated Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 April before booking. If you missed out, the organiser currently advertises a limited number of charity places.
The answer now
Start with the place you actually hold
Ballot results were sent on 9 July 2026. Successful entrants had until 16:00 BST on 31 July to confirm their details. The official ballot page now sends anyone who missed that deadline to charity entry; it does not describe a late-confirmation window.
A ballot result alone is therefore not enough for travel planning. Confirm that the registration is complete in the Let's Do This account linked by the organiser, record the allocated day, and keep the confirmation. The 2027 Double is one event across two days, but an in-person entrant runs on one fixed day only.
What to do for each current entry status
| Your status | What is confirmed | Best next action |
|---|---|---|
| Ballot place confirmed | Your entry should appear in the registration account; the result allocated Saturday or Sunday. | Save the confirmation and allocated day. Use that day for leave, travel and accommodation checks. |
| Successful email, but confirmation missed | The published 31 July deadline has passed. | Check the account and contact the organiser if the record looks wrong. Do not book on the assumption that an unconfirmed offer remains valid. |
| Unsuccessful, or did not enter | The ballot will not reopen. The organiser says limited charity places remain. | Use the official Saturday and Sunday charity lists, then apply on the charity's own site. |
| Charity application pending | The charity manages selection and runner questions directly. | Ask which day the place covers, the fundraising commitment, payment dates, withdrawal terms and when the event registration becomes complete. |
| Another entry category | The Double FAQ lists Good For Age, Championship, club, international and disability routes, with more category details announced separately. | Use the relevant official entry page, such as the Good For Age page. That page still labels its criteria as 2026 reference material, so this guide does not treat a time, membership or past entry as proof of 2027 eligibility. |
Status sources: official ballot page, ballot-results announcement and 2027 Double FAQ.
Saturday and Sunday are not interchangeable
Both days use the same Greenwich-to-Westminster course. The ballot draw included every applicant in both days and told successful entrants which day they received. The organiser says day changes cannot be accommodated, and swapping with another person breaches its conditions and can cancel the place.
Saturday 24 April
A fixed 17:30 finish closure
The FAQ says the event is likely to start at 09:00 and the Finish Line will close at 17:30. It separately tells Saturday entrants that the most time available is 7 hours 45 minutes. Treat that published maximum, plus your eventual start instructions, as the planning constraint.
Sunday 25 April
No single elapsed cutoff published here
The FAQ says Sunday is likely to start at 09:30 and that a secondary Finish Line in Green Park closes at 23:59:59. That clock time is not the same as a personal elapsed-time limit. Wait for the participant instructions before turning it into pace arithmetic.
Separate the entry fee from a fundraising promise
Published full fee for a UK runner who did not choose Double Your Chances.
Published reduced entry fee for successful UK applicants who donated when entering; that choice also added a second ballot draw.
Published international fee, including a carbon-offset fee for international travel.
Any registration payment and minimum fundraising target are charity-specific. Get both in writing before accepting.
These ballot figures explain already-completed 2027 applications; they are not prices for a place now on sale. A charity fundraising target is money you commit to raise for the charity. It may sit alongside a registration payment, so ask whether the entry payment is included, separate or non-refundable, and what happens if the target or an interim deadline is missed.
Ballot fee mechanics: London Marathon Events ballot page.
Check these before paying for travel
- Place: confirm that the entry is secured, rather than relying on a ballot-result subject line or an incomplete charity application.
- Day: use the Saturday or Sunday allocation shown in the official record. Friends allocated different days cannot request a change.
- Time: compare your plan with Saturday's published 7:45 maximum if applicable. For Sunday, wait for an elapsed limit instead of inferring one from the Green Park closing time.
- Charity terms: record the target, instalments or milestones, registration payment, withdrawal policy, day covered and what support is included.
- Booking terms: prefer travel and accommodation that can absorb an error or organiser update. Check the cancellation deadline, name rules and total price.
Once the day is confirmed, save London from the race overview, then keep your allocated day in My Season notes and turn these checks into dated tasks. The race-weekend checklistcovers documents, travel, kit and final official instructions.
What remains unknown or provisional
The sources checked do not establish a race day for a person whose allocation has not been seen. The Double FAQ also describes the two start times as likely, says final Running Show arrangements are still being explored, and does not give one Sunday elapsed-time cutoff. Detailed waves, bib collection and final participant logistics remain later-instructions items.
The organiser says the men's and women's Elite, Championship and Good For Age races will be on separate days, with the split due by the end of September. Until the relevant category page is updated, do not choose a day or claim qualification from an older edition.
Keep planning grounded
Use the race overview after entry status is settled
The parent page holds the reviewed event range and current race facts. The Draw tracks entry dates across races; this page handles the London-specific decision.
Sources and review
Official sources were checked on 11 September 2026. Entry availability and operational details can change; follow the linked organiser or charity page before paying or booking.
- Enter the ballot - current result, confirmation, charity and fee status.
- 2027 ballot-results announcement - allocation process and result release.
- 2027 Double FAQs - dates, fixed allocation and day-specific finish arrangements.
- Run for charity - organiser directory with separate Saturday and Sunday listings.
- London Marathon event hub - current event overview and entry routes.
- Good For Age entry - explicitly marks its published criteria as 2026 reference material and says 2027 details are due in autumn.
Decision prompts are RaceIndex editorial guidance based on those sources. No charity place, fundraising target or category eligibility is represented as guaranteed. Editorial methodology · Report a correction